Ballad of the Chosen
by How-not-to-do-something
Summary: Captured by the CCG, Rize finds herself liberated by an unknown party. What is the Binge Eater to do? Resume her old habits for starters. Rated M for violence, language, and some sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello again, to readers new and old! Now, previous experience has informed me that writing two stories at once is a bad idea, chiefly because updates slow to a crawl whenever I have two projects going at the same time. But screw it all, here's another story from this guy.**

 **A couple disclaimers before I start. First, this story isn't as much of a standalone tale as my other pieces, and is the reason its marked as a crossover with Black Rock Shooter. By that, I mean it'll be incorporating characters and ideas directly lifted from my previous series, Lost in Transition. I'm going to try to not go too crazy with the callbacks, but if you want the full context, you'll have to check that one out. I will try to make this readable on its own however.**

 **Second, this story will contain graphic depictions of violence, gore, and some sexual content. If this is a problem for you, then you should leave. Then again, its Tokyo Ghoul, so you should know what you're getting yourself into already.**

 **Introduction is now concluded, so you know what this means.**

 **This is How-Not-To-Do-Something, and I bring you, '** _ **Ballad of the Chosen**_ **.'**

...

HHH

...

 _Why are we here?_

 _A question asked by everyone at some point in their lives, when a moment of silence is reached. Science claims there is nothing, that all we are is motes of life in an uncaring universe. Faith claims God has His plan for us, that all of our acts are part of something greater. For most, either claim is enough. From birth to death we go about our lives, trying to exist as best as we can. Interpretations of this mindset are infinite, as unique as each and every living soul can be._

 _I asked myself why a long time ago. It's surreal to think I once thought I had no purpose; all I am was a momentary spark, simply living because I did. It was so empty, filled with nothing but seconds of pleasure and the quest for the next surge. Defending my own life needed no justification greater than avoiding an end to the cycle. To continue living just for the sake of selfish life, because death gave me nothing, and robbed me of everything._

 _But that was before._

 _Now, I have a reason to live. I have a reason to fight, to cry, to laugh, to fear, to feel joy. As I cradle him in my arms, his life so vibrant yet so terrifyingly fragile, I know I will never again question why I am here. If I must sacrifice myself to preserve him, to preserve all of them, then let it be so. I won't run from my end anymore._

 _He will live, and I will let nothing change that._

...

HHH

...

Tendo Shirakawa was having a decent day, all things considered.

The portly man, sliding into his forties yet cultivating a receding hairline, strode from the towering control center out into the still air of Cochlea itself. On the railed bridge he walked, alone yet reasonably confident in his safety. Around the expansive colorless space, in every direction he could look, were monsters of the worst sort. Yet he was undaunted; out of all people in the bustling metropolis he called home, the Chief of Security for Level Two knew how secure this facility was. He had little to fear from its inmates.

Shirakawa was in every way unremarkable from his appearance to his voice, nothing about him giving away his occupation. Perhaps the only thing identifying his job was the outfit he wore, a white button up shirt with blue trousers, complemented by a cap and tie. A badge was clipped to his breast pocket, both a symbol of his authority and a key to this level of the prison. He nodded and smiled to the few patrolling guards along his path, fully aware of the anxiety on each man's face.

His short trek came to an end at the other side of the cylindrical space, Shirakawa pausing an arms length away from an elevator door. Taking a moment to input a code into a keypad, the Chief nodded to an armed guard standing by the small entrance, receiving a curt, "Sir." in response.

"Hey Nagisa. Anything new today?" Shirakawa asked genially, clasping his hands behind his back as he waited. The small display above the elevator blinked, the blocky numbers rapidly shrinking.

"Nothing new sir. Just a little worried is all." the guard replied, turning towards the elevator with his submachine gun at the ready. He was clad much like his boss, only with the addition of a dark colored kevlar vest. The Commission of Counter Ghoul initials were spelled out in prominent bolding in the center.

"About the Aogiri Tree suppression operation?" Shirakawa checked, receiving a nod. "I understand. It's not everyday a Ghoul gang gets a crackdown like this. Wish you were there?"

The guard shuddered.

"Not at all sir. I know that makes me sound like a coward, but I don't want to be anywhere near that bloodbath." he said nervously, idly running a hand down the gun's sling to adjust it.

"I get you. If it makes you feel better, I'm glad the home office didn't send me either. The best I'd do is play meatshield for someone more important." Shirakawa cracked a wry grin, appearing just sincere enough to make the younger man smile. "Cheer up, not everyone is meant to be a hero."

 _The unvarnished truth_ , Shirakawa thought. Fighting the cannibalistic monsters, who were physically superior to humans in most regards, wasn't a job for just anyone. In a battle such as the upcoming operation, a Ghoul would see him as a quick snack, and that was all. He had seen enough of the monsters coming and going through his level to know how dangerous they truly were, and how ignorant the public was to both their abilities and numbers. If the charade kept people from panicking, then so be it.

When the elevator began to beep, the Chief stood up straighter in preparation of his guest. His own questions were pushed aside for the time being, in favor of his usual welcoming speech. Shirakawa unconsciously exhaled when the doors slid open, admitting a pair of dainty feet into one of the most secure locations in Japan.

"Investigator Kurocha, welcome to Cochlea. I'm Chief Tendo Shirakawa, I'm in charge of security for this level." he recited, putting on his best smile and trying hard to avoid staring at the woman before him, who nodded in response.

Noto Kurocha, Rank 2 Investigator, and his guest as the official call from Headquarters several hours ago informed, was an unusual specimen of CCG employee. She was half a head shorter than Shirakawa, a little over a meter and a half tall by his reckoning. Ignoring her grey colored business suit and the thigh length long coat she wore, he let his eyes get drawn to the parasol she carried; he recognized cues of it being a Quinque, one of few weapons capable of killing a Ghoul with any guarantee. Her black hair wasn't cut like the close cropped styles most female Investigators liked, instead being parted into two smooth halves that reached down to her collarbone. A grey scarf wrapped around her neck to be draped over her shoulders, a good precaution for the chilly weather hanging over the land as of late.

Her face redirected his gaze however, two glaring details vying for his attention. The first was her eyes: one iris was a hazel brown, but the other was a bizarre shade of blue. He knew of heterochromia, but the Chief had never seen an example in the flesh before. The other was her smile: it was thin, confident, and unwavering, the young woman giving every indicator of the smile being permanent. Shirakawa had seen plenty of Investigators, but very few were so outright cheerful like this.

But his opinions didn't matter, he had a job to do.

"The home office informed me you were coming earlier, I'm here in case you need any help finding what you need here." Shirakawa finished with a polite bow, aware of the guard staring at the arrival. It wasn't hard to guess why, given the woman's obvious European features.

Investigator Kurocha nodded in acknowledgment, producing a small phone to type for a moment before presenting the screen to him. The Chief was a little put off by the informal response, but he deigned himself to squint at the display.

 _Thank you Chief Shirakawa_ , read the device in blocky kanji. He rubbed his hands behind his back and nodded.

"I admit, I'm a little surprised to see an Investigator here right now, what with the operation going on in a couple hours. The call I received told me that you recently transferred from the Nagano branch, but this is an all hands on deck situation if I ever saw one." he commented, maintaining his even tone.

Kurocha nodded, reaching for her pocket again to withdraw a small envelope. The Chief took the offered paper, the guard politely keeping his distance as he tore it open. Shirakawa skimmed the half page of print once, before doing a double take to read much closer. When he looked up again, the man had a shocked look.

"Oh, I, uh, my apologies." Shirakawa half stammered, wincing. "I didn't realize the Chairman himself ordered your inspection, please-"

He was cut off by the woman swiping her hand, patiently shaking her head then gesturing for him to stand up straight.

"Right, right." he took a deep breath as he returned the document. "Please allow me to escort you, this place is a bit of a maze. Officer Nagisa, as you were."

"Sir." the guard snapped to. Behind his back the man showed an uncertain look, the retreating Chief waving for the Investigator to follow him.

The duo traveled along the outer ring of the winding containment zone, going a short distance before coming up to another elevator. While Shirakawa stayed to the middle of the walkway, Kurocha kept along the outer edge, running her hand over the sturdy railing while she roamed her eyes over the cavernous space. Despite the number of guards and other personnel going to and fro, the level still came off as devoid of human life. Punching in another code, the portly man noticed her interested examination; he briefly wondered if she knew how many Ghouls were in this area alone.

"A lot of the staff here were called away to beef up the anti-Ghoul operation's manpower, so we're a little shorthanded for now." he explained, seeing her nod. A moment later the next elevator opened, and he strode in with her close to his heels.

Descending down a short distance, Shirakawa risked a peek at the woman beside him, observing how she had both hands on her parasol's handle and the tip resting on the metal floor. Her gloved fingers rippled over the grip, moving to an unknown tune. Now that they were reasonably isolated, he cleared his throat.

"If you don't mind me asking Investigator." he began, hesitating when her fingers stopped. "Is your scarf just for style, or is it to..."

Giving him a sly grin, she reached up to tuck one finger on the black scarf, tugging it down without hesitation. Shirakawa needed several seconds to process the sight, his widening eyes coinciding with a sudden jerk to the opposite wall.

"I'm, um, s-sorry." the Chief stammered, cheeks flushed like someone half his age. Kurocha didn't seem to care, tugging the garment back up to its former position. The patch of mangled scar tissue on her neck was mercifully hidden from view once more, the woman's smile unwavering the entire time.

Shirakawa was almost calmed down when the door opened again, revealing another cavernous room. Unlike the main detention area, this one was dominated by a large open space, with plenty of square indentations on the floor beside several pedestaled controls. Both humans left the elevator to stroll, the woman glancing up to the catwalks several stories above them. The Chief halted a short distance in, waiting embarrassedly for his guest to notice him.

"T-those walkways up there are for security. In case a prisoner here breaks out, the guards can stay up there and rain down gunfire." he explained carefully, finally catching Kurocha's attention. "I mean, this is the area where the S-class Ghouls are held, so it works here. The SS block has their own security measures, but that's not my department."

Kurocha nodded, turning to gesture at the indentation. Shirakawa approached, glancing downwards when his radio squawked. For the moment he ignored it; if there was a crisis, the control center would use the intercom instead.

"These are the cells Investigator. There's about five tons of Q-steel above the containment room, but there are several smaller vents leading down there for air and water. I dunno about other places you've seen, but we've never had a single Ghoul escape from these on their own." he explained pridefully, pointing at the different squares.

Kurocha yanked out her phone again, typing out something to present to him. _How hard is it to open one?_

"Not difficult at all, although we usually only transfer one prisoner at a time for obvious reasons, and there's always a lot of backup when we do it. Believe me, we know how dangerous Ghouls are in numbers, though I don't need to tell you that." Shirakawa half joked, smiling when the woman snorted bemusedly. His radio squawked again, this time crackling twice. Placing a hand on the device, the Chief waved her on. "I'm sure you'd like to personally inspect the cells Investigator, but I believe the Chairman would be more interested in knowing about the rest of the level."

Shirakawa turned to walk away, but after a couple seconds he realized Kurocha wasn't following. She stopped in front of one pedestal, meddling with the controls until the display showed the occupant.

"Investigator? What're you doing?" the man asked confusedly, ignoring his radio crackling out an indecipherable message.

Flopping her head over, the smiling woman pointed towards the screen; all of a sudden, her smile seemed different. Ignoring the shift, he walked over to see for himself, recognizing the mug shot after a minute.

"Oh, this one. We got seriously lucky with this Ghoul. A local Investigator was in the same hospital emergency services dragged her into, and apprehended her while she was unconscious. Don't ask me how the paramedics didn't recognize what she was, though it looked like someone tried slicing her up afterwards." he explained, raising a brow when he saw the unseemly gaze on the woman's face.

Clamping a hand on his noisy radio, Shirakawa backed away to level a frown on Kurocha.

"Investigator, in all seriousness, why are you here? We have regular and unscheduled inspections twice a month as is, and our security is consistently rated as the best in all of Honshu. I understand the Chairman is nervous about Cochlea prison in light of the whole Aogiri Tree situation, but this seems unnecessary." he explained guardedly.

Kurocha grinned, getting a shiver to crawl up his spine. Still staring at him, she reached out to tap on the pedestal; the simple act made the Security Chief dive for the controls, heedless of the woman's status.

"What're you doing!?" he exclaimed, ignoring her as she moved away. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her unwrapping her scarf, but he paid no attention to the fact.

The unlock sequence was starting, he had to abort it at once. But despite inputting his shutdown codes, the large hydraulic systems began to groan in effort. Cursing under his breath, Shirakawa kept trying to stop the block from rising, sparing a fevered glance to discover only this cell was opening.

Finally he snarled, punching the unresponsive screen in frustration. "I can't get the system to respond. What did you-"

Shirakawa's breath caught. The Security Chief froze, eyes wide as an ice cold feeling enveloped him. He was unable to get more than a short gulp of air with each breath, like his body had unexpectedly decided to stop cooperating. And for some strange reason, he could hear unusually clearly. He heard his own struggling gasps, the grinding of unseen gears bringing the lone cell upwards, a soft whoosh of rippling air from behind him. Then he noticed a rapid dripping sound, like water pattering on a hard surface.

Lowering his head wasn't a move he made by choice, Shirakawa just couldn't keep his neck straight all of a sudden. Two of his questions were answered by this involuntary act, the first being the cause of the dripping sound: it was blood, flowing down his legs and chest to hit the bare floor underneath him. His blood.

The second answer was a length of silvery metal sticking out of his chest, a thin blade covered with yet more of his blood. Blinking at the sword rising out of him, Shirakawa was helpless to stop a tender hand from cupping itself around his chin, gently turning his head to the side. He beheld Noto Kurocha smiling remorsefully, closing her eyes to give a light shake. The light faded from his eyes as he stared into the woman's gaze, his last thought was him wondering confusedly how her blue eye turned pink.

Kurocha held onto the sagging body, glancing towards the cell as it clanked in place. When the thin door slid open, she planted a hand on the man's back to push it forward, letting her sword slide out of him as he fell. He landed face first with a wet smack, his head just inside the freshly illuminated cell. Backing away several steps, the woman reached inside her coat for a handkerchief, wiping it over the sword as she stared inside.

A hand reached from the darkness to grab a fistful of Shirakawa's shirt, quickly dragging the body further inside. The woman continued to wipe the blood from her weapon, interrupting her observation to track a shadowy form circling the block. Her cleaning was briefly halted when she heard a wet crack, followed by a noise akin to tearing fabric. After that came came a girlish squeal of delight, making her grin.

The body jerked repeatedly, slowly by surely being taken further inside. Blood splattered on the floor around the corpse, as the wet tearing sounds left the tiny room. With each squish and crack of bone, a hearty panting left as well, somewhere between a gasp and a cry. Kurocha dispassionately watched the nauseating display, dropping her blood soaked handkerchief to draw another.

Kurocha finished up at the same time as the occupant, her wry gaze focused on the interior as they fell silent. Letting go of the bloody handkerchief, she relaxed her posture just enough to seem at ease, letting the sword's point fall enough to rest above the smooth floor. Staring resolutely into the dark room, she inclined her head to send a confident smirk to the unseen prisoner, not giving the half visible corpse so much as a glance. More tearing sounds left the cell; most of it was clothing, but there was a definite sound of pierced flesh.

Without warning a mass of red and blue erupted from the tiny space, letting out a banshee shriek as it lunged towards Kurocha. Undaunted, the woman whipped around to dodge the attacker, easily avoiding the leaping prisoner with a sublime level of grace.

The attacker landed in a crouch, hunched over the ground. Although her form appeared human, the mass of writhing red on her back betrayed what she truly was. After a few seconds of strained breathing, the female Ghoul slowly rose to her feet, the mass uncurling out to reveal themselves as pulsating tentacles, four of them. The nimble limbs were known as a Kagune, the signature weapons of Ghouls, which were as much a part of them as their natural limbs.

Facing away from the human, a low chuckle left her.

"I've been cooped up in here for too long." Reaching up to flop a mess of tangled black hair away, the female Ghoul looked over her shoulder with a smirk. The simple act showed off her black eyes, darkened lines reaching out to taint the sides of her face, all while her irises were blood red. This was a sight not many humans witnessed and lived to tell the tale. "Thanks for opening the door."

Kurocha held her arms apart as she curtsied, keeping her eyes on the Ghoul the entire time. The formal display was enough for the prisoner to turn around fully, giving her a bemused look as she wiped the blood from her mouth.

Her bare feet tapped on the floor, although the ragged blue one piece outfit she wore rustled loudly to her movements. In spite of her disheveled appearance, the woman in her early twenties managed to come off as fairly attractive, enough to lure in an unsuspecting human male with ease. If one were to look at her prior to her incarceration in Cochlea, they would never suspect she was one of the most wanted Ghouls in recent memory. Doubly so if her eyes were disguised as a humans.

"You have a quinque, but you're not a Dove. So, who are you?" asked the Ghoul known as Rize Kamishiro, smiling dangerously at the human.

Rather than answering Kurocha finally took her gaze off of her, glancing to the tall containment cell. Rize wasn't one to waste an opportunity, darting forward with her kagune pointed forward, crossing the distance in a heartbeat. By all rights, she should have been able to skewer the human in one strike.

But when she jabbed the kagune into Kurocha, Rize's bloodlust instantly turned into confusion; the woman's form shattered into specks of vanishing light, like a pane of glass. Her momentum carried her for a couple meters, the woman's instincts trying to make sense of the incomprehensible situation in front of her. Then a powerful blow slammed into her back, knocking her to the floor with a pained cry. She twisted her kagune to blindly stab behind her, succeeding in hitting nothing but air. Writhing around, Rize jerked back to her feet with a snarl.

Locating the false Investigator was easy, since the woman was polite enough to stand a couple meters away, twirling her sword armed hand around as she smiled at her. Her carefree attitude brought a growl from the Ghoul's throat, transforming the last traces of her amusement into rage.

"Hold still." Rize hissed, baring her teeth.

Her next lunge had the same result as the first, Kurocha gracefully weaving around her strike with plenty of room to spare. A backhanded swipe of the kagune was likewise avoided, the woman simply ducking under the mass of red, then jumping to miss the second tentacle coming at her. Pushing forward to grapple proved fruitless, since no matter how fast the Ghoul moved, she simply couldn't touch the dodging woman at all.

Drawing the tentacles back, Rize snarled as she launched all four at the human, the force behind them enough to shatter the linoleum, sending debris flying into the air. Deftly landing a meter away from the impact, the unharmed Kurocha curtsied as she smiled. Rize snarled.

"That's enough."

Jerking around, Rize went on the defensive, her scowl briefly clouded at the sight. Despite her stance she kept to the side, so one eye was latched onto the false Investigator. The woman straightened up her own posture, the deep movements of her chest hinting at a greater strain than what she let on. Lowering her blade, she too looked at the speaker approaching the women.

Unlike many other people, human or Ghoul alike, Rize wasn't concerned by the man's appearance. Tall, lanky, light skin tone, and possessing a dreadlocked hairdo bound by a wrap, he strode towards her at a relaxed pace, showing no emotions. The female Ghoul paid no attention to his black ensemble, having seen all encompassing long coats and pants before, though her predatory gaze lingered on his gloved hands for a moment, searching for any sign of weapons. Once she was certain he didn't have any, she glanced back up, locking her red and black eyes to his brilliant azure ones.

He stopped a short distance away, his coat fluttering around him. "Rize Kamishiro I presume."

"That's me." she replied, shifting her weight as she grinned.

"Excellent. You can call me Ron." he greeted, holding out his hands in a lackluster bow that she didn't return.

"Cute name. Its prettier than Koroko here." Rize nodded to the other human, smirking dangerously while her kagune curled around, subtly preparing to attack.

Ron quietly sighed. "Alright, I had this whole speech planned, but in the interests of time, I'll get right to the point. I and my counterpart there are part of-"

" _Attention, S-Ranked Ghoul has escaped containment, all security personnel to Block C, repeat, all guards to Block C. This is not a drill._ "

The blaring booming intercom caused all three living occupants of the cell block to glance upwards, the Ghoul's lip curling in distaste. While the woman began to grin broadly, the man sighed as he rubbed his nose. A mere second later, an alarm started to blare, coinciding with a number of flashing lights blinking on all over the space.

" _Merde._ " Ron muttered, lowering his hand when he heard the elevator rolling. Exhaling, he glanced to Kurocha. "Would you give us some privacy?"

A nod and a wide grin was her answer, quickly followed by the woman zipping off towards the descending elevator. Rize watched her go for a moment, noting how fast she was running. Though she wasn't about to admit it, she was impressed by her speed.

Rize was perfectly aware of the man in black taking several measured steps in her direction, subtly moving her weakening kagune around so she could defend herself. But she didn't acknowledge his presence, preferring instead to watch the human reach the elevator, sword at the ready just as it opened.

"Right, anyway-" Ron began, blinking when she swiped a hand at him.

"Hush." Rize interrupted, her attention absorbed by the attack.

The Ghoul began to smile when she saw Kurocha lunge, slashing a man diagonally before he even left the elevator. His shrill scream reached her easily, eliciting a quiet purr of delight. Entranced by the slaughter, she didn't react at all when burst of gunfire boomed out, the woman recognizing the shots were going nowhere near her position.

It was over in ten seconds, the half dozen guards inside had no chance against the false Investigator. Once the last fell, the woman turned from the elevator to stride towards them, her grey long coat splattered in fresh blood. But not before she rammed the point into the back of a prone man, causing one last twitch before he stilled.

Giving a little shake of her head, Rize flopped to the side to smirk. "Where'd you find her, and how much for one of my own?"

"Long story. Believe it or not I brought her along as a scalpel, since I hoped we'd be out of here with a minimum of violence." letting his head fall back, Ron shifted his weight in place. "If I knew her cover would be blown this quick, I would've brought the hammer. Then again, he'd probably kill everything in the way, including you."

"I doubt that." she challenged easily.

"Doubt away. I've seen him kill much nastier things than any Ghoul, but I needed a modicum of delicacy for this operation." Ron explained with a shrug.

"Why don't you fight me yourself?" Rize giggled, flashing a wide toothed grin. "I could use some more flesh to munch on."

"Even assuming you could defeat me, you and I both have more important things to be doing right now." he replied, eyes narrowing.

"Which begs the question, why did you go through all this trouble, just for me?" Rize turned to ask, her smile flickering. She felt the muscle spasms from her back, warning that she was almost out of strength. Her severely depleted reserves threatened to give out at any second, and once they did, her kagune would shrivel up back into her body to leave her nearly defenseless.

"It wasn't as much effort as you're assuming. A faked letter, ID, and a phone call were all we needed to get in here. It actually took more effort scouting this place out than infiltrating. But that's not the point." Ron explained, crossing his arms. A glance towards Kurocha showed her to be in a similar state, giving the blood on her outfit an unhappy look.

Rize smiled coyly, standing akimbo with her kagune lagging. "What is the point?"

"I and my counterpart here are part of a special interest group, which has been searching for... _unique_ individuals. You are the tenth one we've examined since our arrival, and the seventh Ghoul of the bunch. So far, you're the best candidate in our recruitment pool." he explained, bending over for a formal bow. "Consider this a formal proposal to join our project."

"What's in it for me?" she asked simply, noticing Kurocha covering her mouth.

Ron was still for a moment, his expression flickering. "What we're doing is of vast importance. Its not exaggeration to say this will affect your entire world."

" _Ah ah ah._ " Rize playfully chided, wagging a finger at him as she smirked. "I didn't ask what you're up to, I wanted to know how this will benefit me."

Just as he opened his mouth, a door far above them was thrown open, adding a set of barked orders to a number of armed guards. Whipping herself around, Rize readied her kagune for a fight, at least from the outside; her eyes danced over the uncomfortably bare cell block, looking for anything that looked like an exit. She would fight if she had to, but the Ghoul wanted to leave more than anything else. The thought of how her liberators would feel never crossed her mind.

" _Fils de pute_." Ron hissed, clenching his fists. Kurocha readied her weapon, until a sideways glance at her partner made her raise an eyebrow. "Alright, screw it."

Just as the guards aimed their guns over the rails, Rize felt a powerful grip land on her bicep. She immediately began to struggle, but with her weakened state, she couldn't dislodge the hand fast enough. With a powerful yank she was jerked around, her ebony and red eyes widening at a large glossy black sphere in the middle of the floor. She had just enough time to see Ron throwing her around before she was flung towards it, distantly aware of gunfire filling the air.

For a second Rize felt herself being enveloped by... _something_. She didn't know how to describe it; soaking in water or blood was the closest reference she had to the feeling, but that wasn't quite right. It was cold yet all encompassing, pressing down on her from every direction. Opening her lids did nothing but scald her eyes, receiving only pain for input.

While the sensations were entirely new to her, the more pressing matter was the burning of her lungs. Put bluntly, she couldn't breathe. Thrashing did nothing, screaming did less. She heard nothing but her heart thudding in her chest, the rapid pounding warning her she was in danger.

All of a sudden, everything returned: sights, sounds, and most importantly air. Rize sucked in a breath, only to lose it just as fast when she hit the grass covered ground. Bouncing once, she rolled into a heap and began to cough.

Pushing herself up off the grass, the Ghoul hissed when she felt her kagune retract, the organ utterly exhausted. She wasn't in a much better state; being imprisoned in a tiny box for months on end had definitely taken the edge off her prowess, not to mention the infrequent yet crippling interrogations the Cochlea staff put her through, which usually left her beaten and bloodied. Groaning, Rize flopped her head up to scan her surroundings, warily hunting for new threats.

The Ghoul found herself in a small grass filled park, currently abandoned. The oppressive black of the night hung over the entire area, though a number of lampposts held the worst of the darkness at bay. Shivering at a gust of wind, she wrapped her arms around her body in an attempt to hold some warmth in, slumping over to groan. When she tested her legs however, she grinned at last.

Rize just got to her feet when she heard something behind her, a soft whoosh noise. Yanking around to ball up her fists, she tensed at the sight of another black sphere, just like the one which brought her here. Running was her first thought, but the possibility of it following her kept the woman rooted in place for a moment. Long enough for it to enlarge in place, allowing a pair of figures to walk out.

Stopping a few paces away, a plainly unhappy Ron crossed his arms. "Hello again."

Flashing Kurocha a smile even as she appreciably looked over the fresh outfit she wore (consisting of a stylish white overcoat and black pants), Rize glanced back to Ron, catching him rubbing his brow.

"So, are you going to finish your offer?" she cheerfully asked, giving him an inviting wave.

Dropping his hand, the man huffed.

"Alright _Madame Connasse_ , here's how this is gonna work. I'm going to state my terms, you're going to agree, and then I and my partner here are leaving for more important tasks, including chewing out my counterpart for taking up resources for her own operation. In due time, you'll be rewarded handsomely for your service. Any questions?" He held up his hand towards Kurocha when she tentatively raised a palm. "That's rhetorical. The chance to negotiate a deal is passed."

Rubbing her chin, Rize hummed. "I'm going to have to respectfully decline your offer. Thanks for freeing me, I just might spare you if we meet again."

She turned away, appearing flippant; in reality she was about to run, as fast as she could possibly move. After everything she went through, Rize wasn't about to meet her end in some random park.

Exactly four paces were how far she reached, before a swirling black mass whipped by her. The woman felt something warm and scaly slither over her shoulder when it passed her, eliciting an involuntary shiver. Meanwhile, the shadowy mass coalesced into a humanoid shape, reforming into a frowning Ron standing in her path.

Rize blinked. "Nice trick."

"Thank you. And for my next one." he held up a cupped hand, rippling his gloved fingers in place. Before her eyes what looked like inky darkness seemed to flow out of his clothes and into a tiny sphere, hovering over his palm. The patterns roiled over the tiny sphere, not unlike clouds in the sky.

Faster than she could react, Ron jabbed the hand out, putting the sphere between him and her as he struck her torso. The attack staggered Rize, making her gasp from the blow. Whatever pain she felt faded quickly when she noticed a cold weight pressing on the impact point, spreading for a moment before it faded. Checking the spot showed nothing, and a frantic paw at the prisoner garb she wore gave no indicator of injury.

Snapping her head up, she bared her teeth. "What'd you do to me?"

"Sub-dermal tracking field. As long as you're alive, I and my group will know where you are to the millimeter. This wasn't part of my original plan, but that's as dead as the guards back there." Ron explained flatly, walking past her back the way he came. He didn't react when she glared daggers into him, trudging back to an awaiting and clearly bored Kurocha.

"I'm not through with you." Rize snapped, darting after him with her arms out to grab him.

Before she could lay a hand on him, Ron twisted his torso around with his arm extended, making Rize freeze in place. His expression was one of tired irritation, calmly staring at the Ghoul's suddenly quivering countenance. His eyes were focused on her, while hers were wide open as they fixated on the the black toned barrel a few centimeters from her face.

"But I'm done with you. I'd advise you leave it be." Ron said coldly, moving his thumb to the revolver's hammer to push it down, until there was a sharp click that made Rize flinch. "Forty five, Q-steel bullets of course. You're free to argue with me if you want."

"Where'd you even get that?" she asked lowly, inhaling deeply to steady her nerves.

Ron rolled his head over his shoulders, the weapon unwavering. "Easier than you'd think, I brought this along because you never know how things will turn out. Like now for example, was this entire venture a waste of my time, or not?"

Rize took a deep breath, her expression warring between anger and fear. But in the end, she backed away several steps, eyes on the weapon even as he curled his arm up.

"Good. Now if you're excuse me, my partner and I have a US Navy carrier to infiltrate. See you around, and try not to die." he said, giving her a weak curtsy before walking away, the gun still in his hands.

Rize had a great number of questions, although the one asking where did he get a weapon like that was lower priority. Her biggest concern was simple: what did they want with her? Immediately after that, why were they letting her go?

Setting her mouth into a hard line, Rize turned away to march off, reflexively shivering from the cold air. Despite her very numerous questions, the woman wasn't willing to pass up a chance at freedom like this. If there was a plus to everything, it was her being free to resume her old habits. The very thought of which made her mouth water, putting a demented grin onto her face. She ignored the odd pair entirely, and by the time they left, she was long gone.

...

HHH

...

 **A/N: and here we go. I'm just gonna say here that I do not own anything being seen or mentioned here, especially Tokyo Ghoul. Everything belongs to its proper owners, I'm just having some fun here. Read and review if you don't mind too much.**

 **Special thanks to Acidika for editing and input; go check out his stuff while you're at it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I just wanna take a moment to thank everyone who reviewed, followed, and faved this story. To Admiral Fatass in particular, its okay, I appreciate you taking the time to peek at this. Oh, and I don't own anything you spot here.**

...

HHH

...

Humming to herself, the woman moved her body under the shower head to remove the last of the lathered soap, thoroughly enjoying the hot water. She didn't keep to one tune for her humming, switching between songs, rhymes, and jingles feely. While she washed her legs, an old Christmas carol was her self made music. When it came to her arms, she hummed a poor cover to some pop song she heard a while back. For her hair, she settled for an old melody from her youth, all while red tinted water flowed down the drain.

Turning the knobs, Rize opened the curtain as she sighed in bliss. Stepping out, she dripped water all over the floor on her way to a cabinet, rummaging inside for a few towels. Two were used to get the worst of the moisture off of her body, the second in particular being used to dry out her now frazzled hair. Once she was satisfied, she looked over the cramped yet well equipped bathroom for a moment, finding a blowdryer and a comb. The pair of common items brought another smile to her face.

Ten minutes later and she strolled out, her body truly clean for the first time in months; second to the food, the pitiful excuse for cleaning Cochlea had was the part she hated most about the place. During 'shower time' there Rize, along with a batch of other female prisoners, were herded into a fully tiled room, stripped of their scratchy garbs, sprayed with hot soapy water, then blasted off by a freezing jet from a hydrant, the entire procedure taking at most ten minutes. They were always watched by the armed guards, many of the men chatting amongst themselves about which of the women were the most attractive. Unfortunately from Rize's point of view, none were stupid enough to try to force themselves on the prisoners.

The shower Rize took not only cleaned her body, but seemed to revitalize her spirit as well. If she closed her eyes, the woman could almost imagine the past four months as some disquieting dream, rather than an inescapable hell. Sighing contentedly as she stretched her arms (what a luxury open space was!), Rize strolled across the apartment towards the living room, passing by the two darkened bedrooms without looking inside.

Stopping at the small kitchen, Rize hunted around for a moment for supplies, a pleased squeak leaving her once she found the grounds and the filters. Once she had a pot of coffee brewing, she leaned against the opposite cabinet, sparing a look at the far wall. She contemplated a snack, but decided against it for this one; she had her fill last night, and she only devoured cooled flesh when she had to. Besides, she just finished washing herself up.

Still, almost fresh meat...

"Nah." she murmured, going to a cupboard next.

Finding a mug, the woman ah'd in mild amazement at the side; she knew some conversational english, but she could know nothing about the language and still recognize what the painted mural on the side meant.

"Ireland." she mumbled, smiling as she turned the cup over. Finding people who went abroad wasn't unheard of, but this was the first time she found someone who went to the country. It was possible the cup was just a store boughten trinket, but she liked to imagine these people had actually gone to that faraway place.

After filling a cup Rize toed to the living room, avoiding the stains on the carpet along the way. She took to one side of the medium couch, taking a sip of her coffee before setting it down on the small table in front, snagging a remote resting on the top. As she sank back into the inviting cushions, Rize glanced to the other seat, debating for a moment before shrugging. Bringing the severed forearm over, Rize clicked the TV on as she settled in, taking a bite out of the drained meat.

" _-CCG has released a statement claiming the Aogiri Tree Supression operation, while not free of casualties, has succeeded in its objective._ " went a handsome newscaster, giving a smile to the camera that wasn't entirely faked. " _While representative Hotaro hasn't given a figure for the losses, he assured rumors of significant CCG and police fatalities were an exaggeration._ "

Rize snorted, using the arm she was munching on to stifle a laugh. Flopping her head over, she grinned. "Exaggeration, can you believe this?"

Frozen in the same place as the previous night, the middle aged woman in a nightdress offered no comeback. Her glossy wide eyes spoke of the terror she experienced for her last moments, while the gaping holes in her throat and torso gave an alternative explanation for her slack jawed fright. Another possibility, backed up by the man in the kitchen, was that she wasn't afraid for herself, but rather her family.

"Idiots, like anyone buys this anymore." Rize shook her head in wry bemusement, setting down the woman's arm for her coffee.

" _In other news, another sighting of the Giant Monk was recorded in the twelfth ward last night. We take your live to our lovely Ms Mirai, whose interviewing the latest witnesses of this unusual urban legend. Ms Mirai?_ "

The camera switched to some street, where a younger woman holding a mic was standing by a street curb, while a pair of teenaged boys in street clothes milled about nervously. Rize leaned forward, licking the blood from her lips as she stared at the tantalizing potential victims. Just by looking at them she felt her bloodlust rising; it was a never ending hunger for fresh meat, preferably torn from a screaming victim.

She tuned out what they were chatting about, so when the screen suddenly changed Rize did a double take, wondering what happened. The grainy footage being shown made her huff, changing the channel before the first clip was done. Sitting back with a groan, she crossed her arms while she glanced over the sunlit apartment, her eyes catching a generic looking analog clock on the wall.

"Ten AM already? Oh well." draining the last of her coffee, Rize stood up to stretch once more, tossing the arm into the dead woman's lap. "Time to get around I suppose."

Ignoring the teenaged girl by the couch with a hole in her back, Rize made her way to the first bedroom, wondering if there were any clothes in her size. The dead girl looked to be in her size range, but that was no guarantee of anything.

She ended up cooing at another lucky break, deciding to pose in the girl's mirror to make sure; the underwear was a laughably plain shade of white, but it was almost a perfect fit. Cracking open the closet next, Rize grinned at the set of dresses hanging inside. While several were dark colored lolita fashions she never cared for, many more were brightly colored sundresses. She ended up picking a yellow one, along with a matching pair of socks. Unfortunately the girl's shoes didn't fit, being a size too small.

Exiting with a thick grey overcoat for the chill outdoors, she went to the next bedroom. But after digging around for several minutes, Rize only found a thick wad of cash the owner hid away. Undoubtedly useful, but not what she wanted. Moving to the last spot she could think of, she struck gold in a small closet by the door; slipping on the brown shoes, she grinned while wiggling her toes, feeling the thick padding under her soles. It was perhaps the most comfortable pair of shoes she wore in a while, even discounting how she preferred heels.

Finishing with the woman's purse (after tossing out every bit of plastic and paper), she placed her roll of various yen notes inside to hang over her shoulder, Rize checked herself over one more time.

Well fed, check. Money, check. Dressed in clean clothes that were her style, check. Clean, double check, with several more marks behind that. Hairstyle in a ponytail, also check. Safely under the radar in the eighteenth ward, check. Indulged in the flesh of several humans at once?

Rize grinned. "In progress."

Leaving the door locked behind her, the Ghoul left the average looking apartment at a stately pace; while staying longer did appeal to her, the number of neighbors meant she couldn't hide there for long. She didn't even know the names of the people she killed, so how could she stick around without arousing suspicion? The short answer was she couldn't, so there was no point in risking it. After being in Cochlea for that long, she wasn't eager to chance the CCG so soon, without even indulging in her habit yet.

Her chosen hideout for the night was only on the second floor, the last remnants of her survival instincts forcing her to avoid the bottom floor when she stumbled across the place. Taking a moment to simply relish in the brisk air, Rize closed her eyes while she leaned on the railing, basking in the sunlight she hadn't seen for months on end. A contented sigh left her, which turned to disappointment when she backed up to walk away. All the same, two days ago she wondered if she would ever see the sun again, and here she was now.

Rize chose her timing well, between the morning rush hours and the noon congestion. When she strolled out onto the sidewalks, there wasn't many people in the area, and what few that were tended to be taciturn. The lack of nosy people suited her just fine.

So when she heard a man's frantic babbling, Rize felt the need to pause, stopping to glance at the source.

"Judgement is upon us! No one will be spared!" extorted a man nearby the parking lot entrance, a human by the smell (the stench of him alone made her wrinkle her nose), who was clearly a bum.

Unkept, sporting a shaggy beard and ragged hair, and covered by clothes in a sorry state, the wild eyed man stood on the sidewalk to accost anyone who passed him by. He was a kind of human she and presumably many other Ghouls fed on to avoid attention; homeless, likely without a family, someone no one would miss.

"But the chosen ones will be saved, by the grace of the outsider!" he half shouted to a couple passing by him, both man and woman giving him a wide berth and a distrustful look.

A short distance away Rize considered her options; she had no real direction to her walking for now, so going the other way would cost her nothing. On the other hand, it was just a street human. The chances of him being affiliated with the CCG were low, whether as an agent or a plant. Sighing, she chose to keep going, ignoring another cry of, "There is no escaping the darkness!"

But as she passed by, the man suddenly darted over to grab her arms, Rize freezing instantly in his clutches. For a second her mask of harmlessness fell away, and she was fully prepared to rip him apart. The only thing that saved her cover was realizing he wasn't doing anything else, nothing but holding her arms tightly and staring at her breathlessly.

"The gods, they've forsaken us for our ways. But they left a messenger behind, a savior. He'll lead us to a promised land." he half babbled in a low voice, eyes widened.

Blinking repeatedly, Rize raised a brow at him. She'd seen fanatics before, but his lines were different from the usual rhetoric. To say nothing of his near pleading voice, like he was trying to convince himself too.

"Y-yes, he will." she carefully replied.

Her ploy worked; the man let go to take several steps backwards, breathing heavily. "He h-he, cares not for who we are, only that we have the potential."

Hearing a vehicle softly pulling up to the curb, Rize glanced over her shoulder to feel a brief surge of fear. Backing out of the way at a restrained speed, she watched the two police officers exit their patrol car, both men dutifully making their way to the self employed preacher, the first holding up his hands placatingly.

The bum's expression was as guarded as hers. "The end comes."

"Sure, that's why we're here." the cop replied in a soothing voice, cautiously approaching. "We're here to take you to the others, there's a whole batch ready to meet the messenger."

His eyes lit up as he stood up straight. "You're one of us!"

"Yeah, yeah, now if you would please..." the officer planted a hand on his shoulder to guide him away, applying just enough force to move him along. As the second officer opened the back for them, he finally noticed Rize standing nearby.

"Ma'am, did this man harm you in any way?" he asked, his tone neutral while the homeless man was shuffled inside the car.

Rize cleared her throat, adopting an innocent persona. "No, but he did give me a fright. Who is he?"

"Just a salvation cultist ma'am." he replied, his partner shutting the door once he was clear. "They're a bunch of delusional preacher types claiming the worlds going to end. Its just like the whole Aleph scare a few years back, crazy idiots." he mumbled the last part, giving a small shake of his head.

"They've been sprouting up like weeds lately." his companion added, heading for his old seat. "These guys can get violent, so we try to arrest them as soon as we get a call. Good thing this one was an exception." he said, stopping to clap a hand on the roof. "C'mon, lets get going before something else gets reported."

"Good day ma'am." the cop tipped his hat before going for the divers seat. As part of her act, Rize gave a polite wave in response.

She watched the car go for a moment, sighing. "Few months out of the loop and weird stuff happens."

Shaking her head, Rize resumed her walking at a sedate pace. Keeping an eye on the skyline in the distance, she ran several plans through her mind for her next move. Avoiding the CCG was the number one priority, even factoring in the hefty losses they likely suffered while dealing with the Aogiri Tree group. Keep them at arms length was a good idea as well, although she had little to fear from a mere gang. Beyond that, she was free to do whatever she pleased.

A hand came up to massage part of her torso for a moment, a frown briefly overtaking her. She was reasonably confident about her chances with the duo who freed her, now that she ate some actual flesh instead of the sludge served at Cochlea, but she couldn't shake the doubts.

Ron and Kurocha freed her for a reason, but what could it be? Not to mention she had no idea how they managed to fling her across the city in an instant. Clenching a fist, she made up her mind to dig into the matter. She couldn't have been the only one they interacted with, there must have been someone else they messed with before or after springing her. Once she knew more about them, she could deal with the pair, along with any help they brought along.

Her train of thought was abruptly halted when a particular scent reached her nose. It took a great deal of effort to keep her composure, not letting the input show in her body language. Though she knew what the smell meant, she dared not tip them off.

Because Rize was in the vicinity of another Ghoul.

She didn't know anything about them, only that there was another one nearby, very recently. If she could smell them, then they could smell her in return. Passing by in the all too thin crowd, she hoped it was just a random Ghoul's territory she unknowingly walked into. If push came to shove she could fight, but she preferred to simply avoid them. With luck, they would brush her off as a wanderer, nothing more.

When she halted at a stoplight with a handful of humans for cover, she cautiously sniffed again, only to internally curse; the scent wasn't going away, the opposite in fact. The light changing weakened it marginally, the woman resisting the impulse to look behind her. She kept her sedate pace, even as the human's slowly filtered away.

A hand planting itself on her shoulder made her flinch, a reaction she didn't fake. Putting on a fearful expression, Rize turned her head to the side, suppressing a gulp when the hand nudged her towards an alleyway.

"Make a sound and I'll kill you." the hand's owner whispered, an average looking man in his twenties clad in dark clothing, his own face plainly unfriendly. His unzipped hoodie flapped with the wind, giving Rize an excuse to push her own stolen jacket together. With luck, she could strike and escape before anyone could stop her.

Pushing her into a darkened alley, Rize reluctantly cooperated with his forceful grip, for the moment keeping up her innocent act. Glancing inside the trash strewn space, she spotted two other men wearing hoodies detach from the wall to walk to the middle, neither one appearing sympathetic. From behind her she heard another one walk up behind her, his footsteps softer than the others.

Abruptly stopping, the Ghoul shoved Rize forward, the woman squeaking while regaining her balance. Picking up her breathing, she locked eyes with the first hoodie wearing Ghoul, this one possessing a beanie the same shade as the rest of his outfit, his black hair sticking out of the edges. He appeared to be in his late twenties, focusing an even stare upon the woman.

"You know who I am?" he began without preamble, hands in his pockets as he stared her down.

"No, what do you want with me?" Rize adopted a pleading tone as she shrank back, hoping it out throw the Ghouls off. His flat expression evidently wasn't buying her act.

"Names Shinji Toyoma. And I." he took out a hand to point at her. "Have a problem with you, Rize."

"Please, this is a misunderstanding." she tried, subtly preparing her kagune.

"Try it and we'll tear you apart." Shinji calmly replied, his eyes shifting to black.

Rize's breathing steadied, drawing herself up as she inhaled. "You really wanna do this in public?"

"If I must. Fact is, I wanna kill you." he stated, his voice eerily calm. "Because of you, the CCG came down on my gangs hideout almost two years ago. Suzuki." he nodded to his scowling companion. "Soo." he tipped his head back, likely indicating the one behind her. "And I were the only ones left once the Doves were finished. I lost eight friends to them, all because you just couldn't keep your head down like everybody else."

"Lets just do it-" the companion, Suzuki, snarled at the others, only for Shinji to hold up a hand.

"I want to, I have every right to, and there's no shortage of others who'd thank me for it." he went on, shifting his eyes back to normal while he lowered his hand.

Rize narrowed her gaze, calculating her odds. "Then why don't you?"

"Two reasons." Shinji answered, boring holes into her. "First, we got seriously lucky finding you at all. The tip said you'd be somewhere in this district of the eighteenth ward, but I didn't think we'd win the lottery here. And second, my bosses want you alive and reasonably intact."

"And whose your boss?" Rize asked, tilting her head to the side. Instead of replying, Shinji waved his hand for whoever was behind her to come closer. As Soo stepped aside, Rize slowly turned around, ready to strike.

She blinked in surprise. There was a young man in front of her, appearing to be her age. He was wearing black, from his thick jacket to his boots, only his hands and face exposed to the chill. Although his hands were stuffed in his pockets, he was staring resolutely ahead, peering into her eyes, and seemingly her soul as well. Most striking to her was his short hair which was a bleached white, looking unhealthily wispy with as close as she was.

The young man's expression was utterly blank, revealing nothing.

"Hello Rize. Long time no see." he greeted, his voice oddly familiar.

Rize gulped, carefully wording her response. "Do I know you?"

Her vision suddenly went dark, the thick sack covering her head in an instant. Rize struggled with all her strength, snarling into the suffocating mass. She felt her flailing limbs strike soft flesh, and was rewarded by a pained yelp. She faintly heard something metallic whooshing through the air before it struck the back of her head, then everything went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, special thanks to 222Z222 and Kamen Rider Rogue for the faves on this story. Now, onwards!**

...

HHH

...

Sighing to herself, Rize quietly groaned at her poor circumstances. She hoped her irritation would get across to the gang who were roughly handling her, although she doubted they were any sort of considerate. Everything she witnessed thus far pointed towards a no in her mind. Then again, it was possible her captors had orders to be as rude as possible, or they feared what would happen if they showed her any leniency. She had no idea why they would though, just like she had no idea where she was.

Waking up some time ago (an hour? Two? More? She couldn't tell), she tried to escape, starting by wiggling her tightly restrained hands in order to get at the bag covering her head. A dozen punches and a couple smacks of a pipe put an end to her struggle, though she could tell they were holding back. Evidently, they wanted her in one piece.

Again, why?

Rize had plenty of enemies, so many she lost count. But given the MO and the thug's introduction, she had a sneaking suspicion this was being done at the behest of Aogiri Tree. The information didn't help her much, very little honestly. It certainly didn't change the fact she was a prisoner of some unpleasant types, who had access to a van of some kind and were willing to drive quite a distance. The vehicle did turn often however, throwing any estimates of location out the window.

This didn't mean she was completely in the dark. She couldn't see a thing through the damnable sack, but her other senses were still available, albeit blunted.

When it came to hearing, she discovered several things; there were definitely four of the captors, she could tell via their breathing. They were quite well disciplined though, with the only ones speaking often were the driver and an apparent guide. The rest were mostly quiet, keeping a grim silence for the trip. One asking another for a light was the extent of their conversation.

This led to smell. Whoever owned this van plainly hadn't washed it for some time. The floor she lay on was absolutely disgusting, the woman unable to do a thing about the stench of grease and old blood that coated the rough surface. She also detected a host of other scents, none of which were pleasant. A thug lighting a cigarette did absolutely nothing to help her mood, and when she complained about the smoke one of them kicked her. So added something else she had no choice but to ignore as best as she could.

Not to say she didn't gleam any useful information though, even from what little she could tell. Each scent in the van was totally unique, but all were clearly male Ghouls. Relatively groomed ones, who cleaned themselves regularly using soap. That meant they either weren't street urchins, or washed in the homes of their victims. She was inclined to assume the former, meaning they had some wealth at their disposal. Why they couldn't bother to clean their vehicle was a mystery, although she wanted to chalk it up to laziness.

But after some time spent examining her location, Rize came to realize something about one of the occupants, the one in the passenger seat. He smelled differently from the others in several ways. Not only was the soapy scent stronger on him, she could detect a much weaker trace of blood on his person. So not only did he bathe more often, but he had far less to clean off every time. An outsider.

For some reason though, his scent was strange. Past the artificial odors clinging to his body, she could detect the _real_ him. He smelled like a male Ghoul, but the scent also carried an aftertaste of both a female Ghoul and human, the latter of which definitely wasn't coming from his last meal. He made her mouth water just savoring the smell, but her curiosity was definitely piqued. Before Cochlea she heard rumors of things going on behind closed doors, talk of experiments on Ghouls and humans alike. She never paid any heed to such stuff back then, but now she wondered how much truth there really was to the matter.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the van lurched to a stop at last. Rize tensed when the engine died, anticipating the men inside getting up to move towards the back. Curiously the back doors swung open a couple seconds before the driver and passenger ones, bringing in a wash of new scents to confirm her suspicions.

"This her?" went a fresh voice. Masculine but immature, full of disdain.

Two pairs of hands cupped under her arms, roughly dragging her out of the van. One of the handlers barked, "Move." at her, and in response she let her feet drag. "I said move."

"Make me." Rize challenged. A heartbeat later the pipe slammed into her back, knocking the air from her and deforming at the same time. Growling more from anger than real pain, she reluctantly picked up her feet to walk, the two handlers doing all the work for directing her around.

Sniffing carefully, she detected several more Ghouls in her immediate vicinity, including a female. One was sharply different from the others however; unlike the rest, he reeked of blood. Not so much that she thought it was fresh, but the scent clung to him like a cloak. Like the clean one behind her, he didn't belong to this group.

Abruptly stopping a short distance away, the hands roughly forced Rize to her knees, yet refrained from letting go. This time she complied without a word, saving her strength for whatever came next, sensing she was going to need it. A snapped finger was the cue for another hand to grab the top of her bag, tugging it and a few strands of hair off entirely. Squeezing her eyes shut, she only needed a few seconds to get used to the weak light of her surroundings.

"So this is Rize." went the young man again, his tone utterly condescending.

Opening her eyes, she laid her gaze on the speaker: roughly her age, male, and possessing messy dark hair, he wore a dark colored pair of jeans and a leather jacket, all black. Though handsome in his own right, she had definitely seen much better. More topically, the look he sported was one of poorly concealed disgust.

He huffed. "You don't look like much."

"You have me at a disadvantage mister..." Rize trailed off, smiling at him.

"Names Ayato. You have no idea how fucked you are." he told her, mustering a cocky smirk.

"Time to find out I suppose." she replied, glancing around the area; she was in a parking structure by the looks of it, underground if the air pressure was any judge. The two Ghouls manhandling her were the same from the alley, unimportant in her opinion. But the leader's companion caught her attention, the woman focusing on the boy's counterpart.

Short, nearly pink hair with a single long strand, and healthily plump (such a rarity for Ghouls), the woman blankly observed the prisoner. In terms of clothes Rize had to disapprove, thinking long red robes went out of style a long time ago. On the other hand, she showed zero sign of antagonism, watching the goings on with near professional indifference. Unlike the man, she sensed she was part of this group, perhaps a leader.

Another snap of fingers made Rize look back to Ayato, who now appeared displeased as well.

"Aogiri Tree I presume?" she probed, earning a nod from the both of them.

"That's right. The brass have been searching for you for a long time, and I'm the one who lucked out." Ayato gloated with a smirk, but it turned into a scowl when the woman sent him a dry look.

Rize hummed, going back to the woman for a second. Once she looked closer, her appearance clicked. "Hang on, I know about you."

Despite Ayato's scowl, the short woman inclined her head. "Do you?"

"Kusakari if memory serves, on the streets you go by Three Blades. I'm a big fan of you and your gang." she complimented, smiling broadly.

"Thank you." Kusakari replied, a tiny smile gracing her. "That's not saving you."

Rize slumped. "Worth a shot."

Ayato stomped on the concrete, scowling. "Pay attention, or I'll start ripping off fingers."

"Alright." Rize closed her eyes and shrugged, appearing flippant. "You're after me for some reason, and you caught me. Well, they did." she nodded to the others. "You're just here to claim the credit."

Just as Ayato began to march at her, Kusakari raised a hand to block him. In contrast she took one measured step ahead, focusing on the prisoner and ignoring his fuming.

"You'll have to forgive my counterpart, he's in an awful mood. That said." her eyes narrowed. "This is a serious matter. If you don't wise up shortly, I'm going to watch while he tears you apart. Understood?"

"What's the big deal anyway?" Rize questioned in confusion, wiggling a bit despite the lackeys forcing her still. She had to, her muscles needed stretching.

"Aogiri Tree has had a long standing capture order on you for quite some time, the reward is quite extravagant for someone so minor in the grand scheme of things. But this is a different matter." Kusakari explained, voice unchanging.

"Oh?" she went, despite a snort from one of the lackeys.

"It wasn't exactly common knowledge, but you being held in Cochlea was hardly a secret. The Binge Eater herself, captured by the Doves." she went on, releasing a quiet breath. "Two days ago the CCG launched an attack on our base in the 11th Ward, an all out assault to break the organization. We lost a great number of members, but we bled the Doves right back."

"I gathered that from the news. Good for you." Rize nodded, briefly inhaling. Kusakari raised a hand to someone behind her, eliciting a growl from one of the gang. The interrupted attack made the prisoner sigh in relief.

"The whole point of the battle was to distract the Doves, leading to out real objective: raiding Cochlea for new recruits." she spoke, her tone muted.

Ayato snarled, pointing at her. "Thanks to your breakout, the entire prison was on full alert. It was supposed to be a surprise attack, instead they were waiting for us. We were prepared for a few scattered guards, not a whole horde of the bastards."

"Okay, I can see why that'd make you angry. Doesn't mean taking it out on me is going to make it any better." Rize retorted, feeling the grips on her shoulders tightening.

From behind her Shinji grunted. "We sent fifteen of our best guys to help in that raid. Only four made it back, including me."

"Two hundred Ghouls died in the 11th Ward. The raid cost another hundred lives, and in return we gained sixty new recruits. Three hundred, for a sixth of that." Kusakari clenched her fist, expression flickering.

Rize glanced between the two. "So how is this my fault?"

"You're the only S-ranked Ghoul who survived."

Glancing around, Rize tracked the white haired man walking into view. Now that she had a chance to get a closer look, she took note of his black outfit, and what looked like his mask tucked under his chin. This time, her sniff was able to confirm he was the unusual (and savory) outsider of this bunch.

He turned to her with an empty expression, without so much as a hint of emotion behind his blank gaze. "The raid was only able to get as far as the S-rank section, thanks to the CCG locking down the lower levels. Three different blocks is what we went for instead, and every cell we unlocked had a corpse. Except yours."

Rize blinked. "You sure?"

"All the cells we cracked open, none of them had a living prisoner." Ayato snapped, glaring now. "Wasn't gas, starvation, or a gunshot that did any of them in. Every single one was carved wide open, like a sword did it. We checked over a hundred different cells, and we didn't find a single living Ghoul. All we brought in for a haul was in the A to B ranks, they're next to harmless. Wasn't a single S-rank in the entire group."

"Except for you." Kusakari interrupted, making her glance. "Your cell was the only empty one, and thanks to interrogation we found out the same intruders who ended up putting the whole prison on high alert also freed you, killing a few guards in the process."

"Oh." Rize grunted, blinking. "Well, that's something."

In the next second Ayato rushed over to clamp a hand around her throat, a muffled gasp escaping the woman while he snarled. The others did nothing to stop him, letting the man tighten up hard enough for darkness to hem at her vision. What felt like hours later he threw her head to the side, mumbling insults as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Breathing deeply, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "What do you want from me?"

"Information." the white haired man answered.

"Who was it that freed you? How'd they get in, how many were there? You better not leave anything out." Ayato threatened, clenching a fist.

Contrary to even her own judgment, Rize turned to smirk. "Or what?"

Ripping flesh proceeded two warm masses curling around her neck, one sliding over her throat while the other pushed on her spine. By feel alone she could tell they were Koukaku types, a sideways glance showing her the pair holding her were scowling. Ayato's eyes had shifted to black as well, glaring with barely restrained fury.

"You're not gonna kill me." Rize spoke aloud, keeping her confident grin. "You do it, and you won't know who killed all those Ghouls."

Kusakari sighed. "You're right."

Her eyes flicked to black, her kagune bursting from her back in three separate tentacles before flying right at the prisoner. At the last second they halted, each a centimeter from her skin; one was above her waist, the next at the center of her chest, and the last in front of her nose. All were totally still, although the red surface of each limb was pulsing. Rize blinked, flicking her gaze from the stilled kagune to the woman.

"That doesn't preclude us hurting you, or handing you over to the rest of the executives. The reward for your living body is quite substantial after all, and I'm sure Aogiri Tree has a few experts to persuade you to cooperate." Kusakari explained evenly, shrugging to loosen up. "That's after I let Shinji and everyone else to vent their frustrations on you, in whatever way they see fit."

"Any way huh?" one of her handlers chuckled with a dark smirk. It withered in seconds due to virtually everybody in the vicinity turning to look at him, Rize included. He balked. "What?"

Behind her Shinji hummed, a tiny noise indicating he slapped his face. "Suzuki, what the fuck?"

"It was a joke." the handler, Suzuki, defended.

"Jackass." the other one, Soo, muttered as he shook his head.

"But-"

"Suzuki, stop talking." Kusakari ordered laconically, watching the Ghoul slump. "And if I catch you trying anything like that, I'll castrate you and hand you over to the Doves."

Taking a deep, Rize listlessly shrugged. "Can you offer a carrot to your stick?"

Ayato opened his mouth, but one of the tentacles left the prisoner to swipe in the air, halting him with a grunt. That done, the single limb returned to point at her sternum.

"Thanks to these two operations, I'm short on manpower. Its simple really, give us bad or no answers and we'll do horrible things to you. Good, and you'll get a job working for me." the short woman offered, keeping a level gaze even as Ayato did a double take.

Rize narrowed her eyes. "I'm not one for teamwork."

"Its that or death. Quite simple. The offer isn't going to get any better." Kusakari shrugged, withdrawing her kagune to poise around her, ready to strike in an instant. A gesture from her made the two Koukakus back off from her neck.

Rize swept her head around as much as she was able to, checking on each of her captors. Shinji was out of her sight, so gauging him was a no go. Soo and Suzuki looked ambivalent about the offer, though she knew their opinions were irrelevant. Ayatao straightened himself up, his unhappy expression showing what he thought of the matter. Kusakari appeared expectant, not leaning to one side or another.

Then there was the white haired one, who's resemblance was beginning to tickle at her memory. He looked almost completely divorced from the prevailing attitude of the situation.

"Can I get your word?" Rize checked.

"You have it." Kusakari agreed.

Taking a deep breath, the woman nodded. "Alright, I'll play your game. Just let me stand up."

Both grips tightened again, but when Kusakari nodded, they relaxed a minute degree. Their hands shifted to her arms, roughly dragging her up so she could finally plant her feet on solid ground. Taking a second to stretch her sore legs, Rize's momentary relief faded when she realized the men weren't letting go. A glance at the leader elicited an uncaring shrug.

"Fine." Rize muttered, schooling her features. "So you wanna know about the ones who freed me."

"Everything." Ayato butted in, heedless of the glances he received.

The prisoner affixed a dry look on him before she spoke. "Don't know who they were, what they wanted, or how they got into Cochlea."

Ayato twisted his face into a snarl, but she interrupted him before he could attack.

"What I do know is there were two of them. One man, one woman, both in their twenties by the looks of them. The girl was a human named Kurocha, I saw from her ID tag. She had a quinque sword, and didn't make a peep the entire time. Fast though, I couldn't lay a hand on her no matter what I did, and she tore through a dozen armed guards without a scratch." she explained, a hint of admiration in her tone.

Ayato raised a brow, clearly doubting her. Kusakari glanced over Rize's shoulder, likely checking on Shinji and the white haired man. When her gaze returned to the woman, she said, "Go on."

"The guy though, I don't know what he was. Could've been human, could've been a Ghoul. Maybe neither." Rize rolled her eyes, aware of the snorts from the others.

"Neither? Then what could he be?" Suzuki mocked, going on the defensive when the dry looks returned.

"No clue. I know he was in charge, he had dreadlocks, and his name was Ron." Rize continued, carefully gauging their reactions.

Ayato's look softened, though he clearly had zero sympathy. "What'd he want?"

"Didn't say." Rize answered, watching the three pronged kagune twitch. "All he told me was he scoped out a few other people before coming to me."

Snorting at the reply, Ayato dug his hands into his pockets. "Fine. Now how'd they get you out? They dig a tunnel or something?"

"Nope, they teleported me." Rize corrected brightly, smiling.

An uncomfortable silence descended over the area. Her handlers exchanged raised eyebrows, Ayato tilted his head to the side, and Kusakari sighed dramatically. Only the white haired boy didn't react to the news.

"I know how it sounds. Trust me, if there was a more plausible lie I could use, I'd tell you it right now." she explained, shrugging apathetically.

Rize's smile suddenly vanished, eyes bulging while a grunt escaped her lips. Lowering her shaking head, she laid eyes on the single kagune sticking out her stomach, leading back to the blank faced Kusakari.

"One more time, how'd they break you out?" she asked neutrally, twisting the tentacle in place. The prisoner gasped, gritting her teeth at the pain. Its two companions quivered in place, a split second from plunging into her flesh.

Opening her mouth, a quiet hiss left Rize while she struggled for breath.

"They... telep-" clamping shut, she felt the limb dig in place, lazily slow. "Tele-" she halted, feeling it burrow deeper inside.

The only things keeping her from slumping were the gripping hands, holding her upright. The kagune was close to breaching her stomach as it rooted around the interior of her torso, moving slowly the entire time. A flash of lucidity let her detect a weird scraping sensation, one she could both hear and feel; a tiny part of her mind realized it was the intruder scraping on her ribs.

For a second the pain somehow peaked, almost making her scream. But with a sudden lurch and a fresh spike, she felt the kagune rip out of her with a wet smack, almost taking her with it. This time she couldn't stay upright on her own, she needed the guard's help to keep from hitting the floor.

"Well?" Kusakari spoke neutrally, whipping the tentacle to fling the blood off. One of the others slid under the prisoner's chin, raising her head so she could make eye contact. She was heaving for breath, wincing as she felt her torso reknit itself, healing the injury. The woman's intent was clear, as was the threat. She had but one option.

Rize swallowed a lump.

"They... teleported me."

Ayato clenched his fists, baring his teeth in raw anger. In contrast Kusakari sighed.

"You're either that dedicated to your lie, or you think you're telling the truth. I'm not sure which one I'm more disturbed by." she spoke, meeting the eyes of the others.

"Too... weird to... be true. Right?" Rize wheezed, grimacing through the pain.

"I believe her." went the white haired man, calm despite the disbelieving looks he received. "You've spilled everything about your rescuers so far, why stop now? You owe them, and your selling them out."

In response Rize chuckled, a raspy sound that transitioned into a ragged cough. "Owe them what? They broke me, aha, broke me out for their own ends. Gah, they never said they were doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They wouldn't have killed... all those other Ghouls otherwise."

"Hm, that might explain the tip we got." Shinji added, voice contemplative. "I thought it was awfully specific for some random sighting."

Muttering insults under her breath, Rize glanced back to Kusakari. "So?"

Hesitating for a moment, Kusakari withdrew her kagune, eyes returning to normal a moment later. "Anything else? Did they say where they were going? Did either of them mention anything unusual?"

"No, and define unusual." Rize answered weakly, though her gut was feeling much better. "The guy did keep saying some weird words, I recognized them as french."

"French, really?" Ayato muttered, although she could tell he was interested.

"Yeah, he called me miss something before we split. No idea what though." she replied with a shrug. "That's about it."

Rize thought of the black sphere Ron hit her with, but decided to leave that part out. She could tell the teleportation had stretched their incredulity to the breaking point, and she doubted it would matter to them anyway. What they didn't know couldn't hurt them.

Kusakari took a deep breath. "This interrogation wasn't all that helpful. But now we know what to look for, so this wasn't entirely pointless."

"Just about." Ayato muttered, sullenly watching the prisoner with hands in his pockets.

"Even if you're lying or delusional, the evidence thus far doesn't have an alternative theory for how you escaped. I'll do you a favor when I bring this to the Board and leave out the means, or I could lie and say they flew you out in a helicopter, or something." Kusakari cracked her neck, staring down the woman. "I shouldn't, but I stand by my word."

Just as Rize sighed, the short woman glanced over her head.

"Shinji, I'm leaving her with your group. Put her to work, and make she does something useful. If you feel the need to kill her, insure her body can be recovered." she commanded.

"Got it boss." the Ghoul replied, his tone sour.

Ayato affixed a frown on the woman as she turned around. "Wait, you're not actually serious about this?"

"Of course. I break my word, then my reputation suffers." she shrugged. "Besides, I told the truth. The Board gave me a long list of objectives, and I need every able bodied Ghoul I have to do them. Its why I don't finish her off right now, I'd rather she dies doing something productive."

He narrowed his eyes. "That wasn't part of the plan."

"Plans changed. Either deal with it or go to Tatara." Kusakari's tone was flat, but her own gaze matched him for hostility. Rize felt the grips on her arms loosening, the handlers evidently deciding that standing with their boss was more important than restraining her.

After a tense moment, Ayato snorted. "Whatever. Alright, let's go."

"No."

Ayato paused, slowly looking over his shoulder to the white haired man. "Say what?"

"I'm staying with them for now." he replied evenly, posture relaxed.

"You gotta be kidding." Ayato turned around fully, scowling. "You're ditching us?"

"Ditching you." he corrected.

Kusakari looked between the men, raising a brow. "Well, I won't complain. Shinji?"

"Uh, sure." went the man in question, Rize noticing how nervous he sounded all of a sudden.

"You son of a bitch." Ayato held his hands to the side, his eyes shifting to black. A hand on his shoulder made him jerk, almost dislodging Kusakari's hold.

"Leave it, and get out of here." she warned, letting go to stare.

Expression flickering, Ayato turned to slowly walk further into the parking garage. After a minute his footsteps dwindled to nothing.

"Dick." Suzuki muttered, this time receiving a couple nods.

Kusakari looked back to the group, waving a hand in the air. At last the hands released her shoulders, and Rize sighed happily while giving them a quick rub. She let a smile grace her face again at the turn of events.

"Thanks." she nodded around.

Without warning a cold circle clamped around her neck, latching in place even as she dove out of the way. Scrambling up, Rize hissed as she felt the cold metal seem to tighten against her recoiling skin. Snapping her head around, she laid eyes on Shinji, hands in his pockets as he shrugged.

"Q-steel collar, I took that from a Dove that tried to kill me. Not sure why the prick had it, but he was chasing after a couple female Ghouls in my neighborhood. About time the damn thing got put to good use." he explained, amidst Soo's and Suzuki's chuckling at the information.

Rize gingerly felt the thick metal collar, her fingers darting away every time she tried to touch it. Flopping her head to Kusakari, she tried a pleading look.

"I would've taken a few fingers off myself, but this works. With your reputation, there's no way any of us would trust you not to bolt at the first sign." she replied, easygoing. Flicking her gaze over, she spoke again. "You sure about staying with them?"

"Yes." the white haired man in black answered.

"Alright. I suppose for saving Naki, this will make us even. Take care then." she nodded, walking off in a different direction.

Rize's careful pawing at the collar came to an end, along with the venomous thoughts of her captors. Hands in the same place, she glanced to the stranger with a curious look, all while the others got around to packing up.

"Who are you anyway?" she felt the need to ask, ignoring the others going for the van doors.

The white haired man turned to face her fully. "My name is Ken Kaneki."

"Okay." Rize nodded, frowning.

"We've met before." he told her flatly.

"Okay." she repeated, raising a brow.

His eyes narrowed a minute degree. "You tried to kill me."

"If you're trying to jog my memory, you really need to be more specific." Rize told him, mentally comparing his face. He did seem familiar, but for the life of her she couldn't place this guy.

"Falling pipes." the white haired man, Kaneki, said simply.

Rize's frown vanished, her eyes bulging as she ah'd. "Oh yeah, I remember now! You were the cute book loving kid at the cafe, right?"

"Yes." he nodded.

"Aha, that takes me back." she rubbed her forehead, chuckling to herself. "Wow, I'm a little sorry for not recognizing you. I mean, the last real meal I had broke all my bones and got me carted off to Cochlea while I was out cold, so my memory was a little foggy. Plus." she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "The one I tried eating was a human. You're definitely a Ghoul."

"I am now." he said simply, eye shifting to black.

Rize blinked, her bemusement falling away. His left eye was the typical black and red irised version Ghouls had, but his right kept the white and grey of a moment ago. He showed no sign of this being a trick, nor a forced effort. Distantly aware of the others pausing to curse in awe, Kaneki nodded at her once more.

"I'm like this now. Thanks to you." he said, reverting the lone eye back to normal.

Rize was still for a moment, before running a hand down her face. "Couple months out of the loop, and there's one eyed Ghouls running around. What did I miss?"


	4. Chapter 4

When the van finally lurched to a stop, Rize breathed a sigh of relief. Not a large one by any definition; she was still stuck in a tiny space with three glaring thugs and a crime against nature, itching at the riling Q-steel collar around her neck, and stealing unhappy peeks at the tears in her stolen dress, both the rips and the bloodstains courtesy of being stabbed by a kagune. At least she didn't have a bag over her head anymore, for what little it was worth.

Suzuki opened the doors to step out, letting artificial light spill into the tiny space. Just seconds after he twisted around Rize hopped out after him, taking the chance to stretch her sore limbs, features wrinkled in muted relief. Not much of it was an act, she really was stiff from being cooped up in that smelly van for so long. It felt like she'd been stuck in there for months, almost like she was back in Cochlea again.

Her arms dropped when she heard both doors open then slam shut, sighing as she toed herself to face them; Kaneki was still blank faced as before, but Shinji had his hands in his hoodie pockets as he stared her down. In response Rize gave him a short yet vaguely mocking curtsy, earning a snort.

"Alright, this way both of you." he walked towards the wall, lazily waving for the duo to follow.

Glancing at her surroundings, Rize took note of the smallish garage she found herself in. The place was large enough for a couple vehicles, but the only open lot was filled by the dented van. Instead of a second vehicle, the next parking spot had several benches laden with tools taking up room. She saw next to no decorations on the walls, save for a couple wrinkled automotive posters strewn up. There were plenty of toolboxes lying about though, as well as a couple bins; they evidently did their own maintenance. The entire place had a level of grime over every surface, but little in the way of actual mess.

Soo's cleared throat cued her to pick up the pace, heading after Shinji while he walked towards a door he swung open. Beyond was thick oppressive darkness, lasting only as long as it took for him to fumble for a switch. Wincing at the stab of light, an elbow into her back resumed her reluctant walk after the gang leader. She sourly noted neither man did anything to Kaneki, instead preferring to keep a gap between them rather than get closer than necessary.

A short hallway led into an open room, walled in by thick cinderblocks. Rize had the feeling they were in a building's basement somewhere, but what kind, much less where, was beyond her ability to guess. They were still in the Eighteenth Ward, that was all she was sure of.

In the center of the room was a large metal table (several she noted after a moment of observation, bolted together), circled by over a dozen chairs. It was here Shinji stopped, yanking one out to drop himself into. As he lowered his head, he waved for the rest of them to take seats; Kaneki sat a couple spaces apart from the rest without a word, but Rize apparently needed another jab into her back to head to a chair of her own, an unneeded act if there ever was one. She wanted to take the seat farthest from the others, but prevented from such thanks to Suzuki forcefully guiding her into a closer spot.

Shinji was rubbing his face for several long seconds, only relaxing once he heard his party was seated. That done, he leaned back to sweep his dry gaze over all of them.

"Alright, here we are."

A solid thirty seconds went by after Shinji's announcement, half a minute of nothing but the sounds of breathing and the hum from the lightbulb. That changed when Rize cleared her throat.

"Now what?" she prompted.

"Fuck if I know." he leaned back in his seat, digging into his pocket to withdraw an old looking cellphone.

Kaneki frowned a little, but he appeared otherwise blank when he switched to the leader. "Where are the others?"

"Dead." Shinji set the phone down, returning forward to slump onto the table. "There used to be ten of us here in this hideout, but the Doves got everybody else. Tama, Hyoshi, Daisuke, Hikari, fucking Hikari." his fists clenched on the table, squeezing as he gritted his teeth. But with a sigh he flattened his palms. "Counting you two, we're the only ones here."

"I'm sorry." Kaneki said quietly, but Shinji waved him off.

"Don't be. We knew the score when Aogiri Tree came around." he replied tiredly.

"I know Hikari would get pissed if she caught you moping like this." Suzuki said, mustering a weak smile. "And Daisuke would laugh and say things were easier in his day." he finished with a chuckle, briefly creating a smile on the leader.

"Depressing." Rize commented, folding her hands together despite the lackey's shooting her a look.

Again silence descended over the room, but this time it wasn't the woman who disrupted it.

"Hey man, are we still on for that job?" Soo asked, laying his hands on the table.

"What? I thought we were cut from that plan." Suzuki sent him a confused look.

Rize's brow rose a centimeter. "Job? What job?"

Shinji took a breath, flopping back to affix her with a dry look. "Heard of Hanzo Banking?"

"Sounds familiar." she replied, raising a brow.

"They're a newer banking corp, small time compared to some of the giants around the country. The only thing really noteworthy about them is they have a big contract for the CCG." he explained, both his guests picking up.

"A CCG sponsored bank eh?" she grinned, having an idea where he was heading now.

"Yeah, they're owned by the Washuu family, the same group that has a Chairman for the CCG." he said, errantly waving an arm. "Hanzo has a couple buildings here in Tokyo, but their biggest office in the 1st Ward." he explained, both new arrivals stiffening.

"That's Dove central, are you crazy?" Rize quickly snapped, sharply glancing at her unwanted companions; Kaneki appeared concerned, nothing like the conditioned fear shadowing her expression. Soo and Suzuki looked disturbed as well, although not outright shocked as she was.

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Alls I said that's their biggest office. There's no way in hell any of us are going near that deathtrap. If you had let me finish, I would've told you the details."

She huffed, crossing her arms to lean back in her seat.

"Anyway." he started dryly, gesturing for one his friends. Soo dutifully got up to head towards a small cabinet, rooting around inside until he grabbed a rolled up sheet of paper. He laid his prize on the table and pushed it over for Shinji to grab. "They have a smaller office right here in the 18th Ward." he said, unfurling the paper to show his guests.

Rize and Kaneki leaned in to see; she discovered it was a map of the Ward, crisscrossed by a lot of different markings. After several seconds of analyzing she determined many of the hasty looking scribbles were street directions. More dots were harder to discern, but she recognized a couple locations as police stations.

"There's a few million yen in this place, us and another group were supposed to pull this off together." Suzuki piped up.

Rize swept her raised brow around the decimated gang. "A bank robbery."

"Sorta." Shinji jabbed a finger at a spot on the map, circled thrice in a thick marker. "The cash is more of a side bonus, the real prize are the financial records on this office's computers. A lot of Doves keep their money at Hanzo, if we figure out which of their clients are with the CCG, we can hit them at their homes. Put a dent in the fuckers where they least expect it."

"You can find this out?" Kaneki asked softly, glancing when Soo huffed.

"Tama could've hacked this, but-" he stopped to take a breath. "We were supposed to hand this off to Kusakari anyway."

Rize examined the map, flicking her gaze to the leader. "I sense a problem."

"Four, actually." Shinji corrected, rolling up the paper."First off, even with you two we're shorthanded on our side. Its doable with five, but only just. Which leads to problem two: neither of you know our signals, codes, or cues."

"What are you guys, commandos?" she half snorted; she knew larger gangs were very well coordinated, but she had no firsthand experience with how these things worked.

"There's also you, but that's related to the previous issues." he added darkly, sighing through his nose. "The biggest complication is that we have to pull this off in a very particular way."

"This whole gig is for that data. The moment the CCG figures out Aogiri's targeting them like this, they'll purge their database rather than let us take it." Soo warned, frowning.

"They can't know Ghouls pulled this off. So we have to pretend to be humans." he finished.

"How?" Kaneki asked flatly.

Shinji and Suzuki matched looks, and the former nodded. Without a word the lackey stood up to leave, exiting through a side door; when Rize opened her mouth for more questions, he swipe a hand to silence her. Leaning back in a huff, she scratched at the collar to deal with an itch, thinking if she had some thick gloves she could just pry the damn thing apart. That or a set of bolt cutters, something she was sure they had somewhere.

The sound of the thug stomping back to the room ended her train of thought. She glanced to Suzuki stomping back in, then did a double take at the large case he was holding by the sides, hauling it towards the table; when he set it down, the entire table rattled. After flicking to Shinji, he undid two latches and swung the top over.

"This is how." he announced, stepping back to let them see. Rize stood up to lean, and felt her eyes widen.

Guns were in the case, a half dozen handguns surrounding a short wood bodied rifle, all securely strapped in to appropriately fitted foam supports. The woman had been shot at enough times to have a healthy dislike of these things, on top of hearing so many stories about them ending up in the wrong hands.

Kaneki visibly gulped, tearing his eyes off the illegal weapons. "Where did you get these?"

"A 'gift' from Kusakari. She called it a perk for joining Aogiri." Shinji answered grimly, gesturing for Suzuki to close the case once they had a good look. "They're more threatening than knives, but they'll bring the Metro SAT down on us pretty quick. If we're lucky though, they won't know what we really are until after we've gotten away."

"I don't know how to use these things." Rize said immediately, the white haired young man nodding in agreement.

"You don't have to. Tell the truth, I barely do either." Shinji admitted. "Wave 'em around to get the people to cooperate is all I'd expect from either of you."

"There isn't a lot of bullets for them anyway. Except for this rifle here, um." Suzuki frowned, glancing to Soo.

"Ay-kay." he supplied.

"Yeah, this thing. All of them are the regular kind, no Q-steel." he added quickly, latching up the case.

Kaneki appeared uneasy, more so than the others. Rize quite clearly recalled he was a human when she tried to eat him; perhaps he still had remnants of a human upbringing which extensively hammered in that guns were evil things. Her own distaste was borne from her experiences, where even normal human killing bullets hurt as bad as a thorough beating, despite being unable to break her skin. Only a handful of times had those been Q-rounds, far too many in her opinion.

Nevertheless, the young man adopted a thoughtful frown. "You said there were four problems. What's the last?"

Shinji flashed a grimace. Rize was aware of the same look being shared by the two lackeys, something that certainly bode ill for her expectations.

"Even before we got mauled, we were supposed to do this job alongside another gang working for Aogiri. Extra muscle." he stopped to take a breath. "The Clowns."

Rize felt her brow rise. "You're making that up. The Clowns don't take orders from anyone."

Even by Ghoul standards, the Clowns were a strange gang. Powerful as they were enigmatic, she knew the CCG had tried to end them on many occasions, but no matter how many died or how thoroughly they were hunted down, the Clowns somehow always survived and prospered. She was puzzled at why they seemed to be throwing their lot in with Aogiri Tree, though she suspected they'd split the moment the organization started to fracture. Perhaps they were making a power play inside the faction?

"I wish." he muttered, rolling his eyes. "I trust those psychotic bastards as far as I can throw 'em, but there's a lot of Clowns mixed in Aogiri nowadays. This group was supposed to run interference while we do our thing, keeping attention off us."

"Can we rely on them?" Kaneki questioned.

"I'd just as soon run than work alongside those guys personally." Suzuki commented sourly, plopping into a seat. Soo nodded in agreement.

"Hell, I'd try my luck putting them down if I thought I'd get away with it. But none of this matters anyway." Shinji leaned back in his seat, crossing his hands behind his head to stare at the ceiling. "We're in way too bad of a condition to pull this job off. Counting me, we have three reliable guys on hand and two new people. One of whom has a rep for causing trouble." he finished with a glare towards her.

Crossing her arms in a huff, Rize mustered a wry grin. "So, when were you planning on hitting this bank?"

"Well, we were thinking of making our move early in the morning. When everyone's still waking up." Suzuki answered her carefully.

"Daisuke's idea. Broad daylight is too risky, and they'll be expecting a break in at night. Its either evening or morning." Soo added with a frown at his compatriot.

"Never now." Shinji replied a little louder than before, letting his head fall back. "Not enough people, not enough training, too little information. On top of everything else I already listed."

Rize planted her elbows on the table, sending a smirk at the leader. "You're forgetting something."

"What?" he questioned dryly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

Stifling a chuckle, the woman leaned back to wave a hand at the white haired young man, who raised a brow. She didn't continue until he sighed, flopping back to affix a bored look at her. Once his attention was hers, she smiled.

"Ken here says he was human not too long ago, and you know how I hunt. I'd say between the two of us, we have more experience pretending to be human than all of you combined." she explained loftily, ignoring how the lackeys sent him a strange look.

"So?"

"Simple. We don't need to know how you operate, we just need to be visible while the rest of you rob the place. We distract them, you do your thing." she finished with a smirk.

Shinji breathed in through his nose, glancing to the young man. "That true? You were a human?"

"Yeah." he answered quietly, although the way he averted his eyes puzzled the woman.

Though his expression was blank, she could see him mulling on the idea. He had to know what she was thinking; Rize would undoubtedly use the opportunity to flee while they were busy. If the CCG caught on to what they were doing, she could melt away without a trace, especially if they received an anonymous tip. A simple yet obvious plan he already thought of no doubt. But if she had just a little bit of luck, he would decide the gains outweighed the risks.

"I don't like this boss." Soo spoke up, frowning worriedly. "This was risky enough before we lost everyone, and you know her reputation. I mean, shit man, our whole crew got hammered twice, and both times she was the cause."

"I know its bad, but Kusakari won't be happy if we just hole up here. Way I see it, we do this right, and we can offload both of them. No offense." Suzuki hurriedly apologized to a now frowning Kaneki.

Shinji sighed, rubbing his eyes. "You're both right. And for as much as I don't like you." he paused to shoot her a glare. "We need to do this, or else the guys at the top will just fold us into another group. Probably won't be that bad..."

"Giving up that easily?" Rize prodded with a smirk, leaning back with her arms crossed. "You're gonna let all your friends down just because you're scared of some danger?"

He balled his fists, and for a second she thought he was going to strike her. But after a moment, Shinji visibly deflated.

"Fine." he mumbled. Rize had to cover her smirk; it wasn't often her ploys worked this easily.

"Sure boss?" Soo questioned worriedly, frowning as he glanced to the others.

"No, I'm not. But its not like we have a lot of options." he said tiredly, flopping his head back. "We're still on for the job."

"Alright." Kaneki quietly agreed, contrasting to the uncertain nods from the duo.

"Great, so." Rize leaned over the table, fingers steepled in front of her grinning face. "Where do we start?"

With a fresh sigh Shinji stood up, taking a second to straighten out his hoodie. Once he was satisfied, he jabbed a finger at his people.

"Suzuki, get these two set up in a guest room. Soo, find that folder we put all our intel in. I'm gonna make a call to Kusakari, then you and I are fixing the van's oil leak." he commanded simply.

"Got it boss." Suzuki said as he rose, starting towards the door he left a moment ago, gesturing for the newcomers to follow.

"I'm not tired." Rize protested mildly, though she stood up anyway. She noticed Kaneki soundlessly doing the same, sliding back into that blank look from before.

He affixed her with a dry stare. "You're not sleeping yet. Once you two have rooms, you're gonna clean this place top to bottom, then we're all going for a ride to scope out the bank. Now get moving."

HHH

Hours later and Rize pushed the door open, staggering towards the bed in a good imitation of a drunken gait. She currently wore a thick apron over her now filthy sundress, splattered with grime and cleaning supplies, which she peeled off to toss on the floor before limply flopping onto the altogether too hard surface. Face down in the smelly fabric, she groaned in dismay.

Only when the need for air overcame her despair did the woman creak her head to the side, her tired gaze landing on a streak covered bathroom visible near the back. She couldn't help but compare the seemingly luxurious shower from earlier today to this dump. Although she knew she needed to bathe, the sweat and chemicals that filled her nose demanded nothing less, she was feeling extremely reluctant to step into such a pit. Idly she scratched at the uncomfortable collar digging into her neck, feeling the Q-steel itch at her skin no matter what she did.

Had it really only been twelve hours since she enjoyed a thorough cleaning in some family's apartment? It felt like months ago, a brief taste of freedom before she was bound once more.

Another groan escaped Rize as she rolled onto her back, her lackluster gaze falling onto the tiled ceiling, sourly noting the presence of dusty cobwebs in the corners. Hours of being on her hands and knees with a brush, while Suzuki stood beside her to make sure she wasn't slacking, and she still had yet to get as far as her own lodging. It was like nobody here had ever bothered to pick up after themselves, let along clean the floor. The fact he was busy inspecting her rear end the entire time failed to improve her mood. Even when she snapped at him to stop, he threatened to attack her rather than even attempt to be discreet.

"How the mighty have fallen." she muttered to herself. From one of the most feared Ghouls in Tokyo to a cheap maid, in just a day's time. Under her breath she quietly added, "Fuck my life."

When the door clicked open, Rize sighed and swiveled her head towards the entrance. Expecting either Shinji to show up and lecture her on something, or Suzuki to take advantage of her as she suspected he wanted to, she ended up raising a brow when the arrival soundlessly walked in, closing the door behind him.

Groaning as she propped herself onto her elbows, she affixed an annoyed look upon the interloper. "Oh, its you."

Kaneki nodded in acknowledgment, stopping halfway between the door and her bed. She noted a stack of folded laundry in his grip, which he placed on a small dresser before turning to face her; unlike Rize, they hadn't told him to do any chores around this hideout that she heard. The woman noted he had on plain colored pants and a long sleeved shirt now, with no trace of his thick black outfit or his mask. She was reminded she needed to ask about her own mask during their next 'meeting.'

"Thanks." she said tiredly, narrowing her eyes when he made no move to leave. "What is it now?"

"I came to talk." he said softly, blank faced and unmoving. His scent started to waft into the room, but unfortunately the harsh chemicals still clinging to her form blunted his pleasant aroma.

Sighing dejectedly, she pushed herself up so she was sitting, laying a dry expression upon the freak. "Shoot."

"I want to know why you targeted me before." Kaneki's tone dropped an octave, his brow narrowing several millimeters.

"Targeted you?" she asked, sparing a bored look at him. "I was going to eat you because you fell for my innocent book girl act. If you walked away instead of talking to me back then, nothing would've happened. Not from me anyway."

"That's it?" he questioned lowly, though she sensed some anger underneath his expression.

Rize shrugged. "Its not like I had a grudge, or some specific prey I like to go for. You were especially tasty compared to my usual meal, but other than that I had no reason to single you out."

A slight breath worked its way through his torso, and she sighed dramatically.

"I don't hate you if that's what you're going for. I'm mildly annoyed that you're with these assholes, but that's it." she explained with a roll of her eyes.

"So I was just unlucky." he said quietly, causing her to snort.

"Pretty much. If it wasn't you it would've been some other dolt, maybe that bud of yours." her easygoing attitude dipped when she saw his features hardening, adding a mental note to explore that avenue. "But none of that matters now, does it? By the looks of things, both of us caught some nasty misfortune somewhere along the way." she finished with another shrug.

"I see." he replied, glancing to the wall.

"I guess if you're after payback, I shouls say take your best shot. But..." a groan left Rize as she frowned at her body. "Something tells me that fight won't go in my favor." A dejected huff left her as she slumped.

"Perhaps someday, but not now." Kaneki replied, turning to leave.

"I'll keep that in mind. Just so you know, I'm not looking forward to being raped." she said unhappily, falling back onto the bed.

Right as she closed her eyes, Rize suddenly registered the white haired young man had stopped. Craning her neck up, she raised a brow at the stunned look over his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" he went, for a second showing more liveliness than she'd seen all day.

"I'm weak now, and you said you're like this because of me. Not to mention I did try to devour you." she explained with a flopped arm.

Kaneki turned around fully, approaching the bed by paces to level a disturbed expression upon her. "But, rape?"

"Yeah, probably followed by you killing me. Compared to some of the other nutcases in this town, it'd be halfway merciful if you do it." she said, involuntarily shivering when she recalled some of the big names she knew; for several of the groups she actively avoided, death was a rare mercy.

She needed another second to realize his frown had deepened, showing vague disgust.

"I don't want to rape you." he said simply.

His answer caused her to sit up once more, leveling a puzzled frown on him. "Really? That'd be a first."

"That's... no." Kaneki stopped to shake his head, before leveling a cold glare upon the woman. "You have a lot to answer for, but I'm not going that far. Why would you think that?"

Rize just shrugged. "Besides whoever it was who cut both of us open, I'm more responsible than anybody else for ruining your life. That nice cushy existence humans have, I helped tear it away from you." Without warning, she grinned. "Hey, wanna compare scars?"

"No." he denied flatly, taking a step back.

"Oh well." Rize flopped back onto the bed, peering at the dirty ceiling again. "Out of curiosity, did you lose your virginity while I was locked up?"

When Kaneki froze, she spared a wry grin at him. Even when a glare was foisted on his expression, she had to stifle a chuckle.

"I am going to kill you, but not until I get all the information you have." he replied coldly.

"On?" she probed, debating on whether to tease him or not. After a moment she decided on a no, sensing he was too close to the wire for her to tempt.

"For whoever did this to me." he answered coldly.

When she peered again, Rize needed to forcefully stop herself from staring at his one changed eye. She wasn't about to admit it, but seeing one eye turn black while the other stayed normal made her deeply uncomfortable. It looked just wrong to her.

"If you do, send them my regards. Took a month for those cuts on me to heal up." Rize waved in an apparent dismissal, flopping back with her eyes closed.

Though she appeared relaxed, the woman subtly readied her kagune. Prodding him was definitely not the best move under these circumstances, due to Rize needing to rely on Kaneki for the near future. Not trust (no one received her trust), but she had to know his thoughts and quirks. It would be very inconvenient for her if he decided to assault her now, or stabbed her in the back later, or randomly snap in the middle of something. Death was the last thing she wanted on her itinerary.

But on a small level, Rize did pity the guy. She only wanted to eat him, now he was involved in a Ghoul terrorist organization (deeply involved, looking at how Kusakari and that Ayato guy treated him), and soon he would be adding grand larceny to his resume. Killing him would've spared Kaneki so much trouble, though how much she would dodge was impossible to tell.

"We have time now." he said, knocking her out of her reverie.

"You have time, I'm taking a nap. I'm beat." Rize answered without looking up. When he didn't leave, she sighed. "All I know for sure was he was prepared. I don't remember anything from when those pipes fell on me to waking up in Cochlea's processing center, but I do know he cut out half of my kagune. You'd need Q-steel tools and a surgeon's skillset to do that."

That wasn't entirely right in fact. Rize did recall a few flashes; somebody mentioning about an IV dose, a mention of a transplant, a blinding light shined in her eye, and an alarmed shout growing distant. All of it was hazy, not unlike a half remembered dream. Nothing that was going to be of any help to either of them.

"Very well." he replied coldly.

With her eyes closed, Rize heard Kaneki walk away, locking the door behind him. Once he was gone she sighed, rolling onto her side to gaze at her dirty hand. Thoughts flitted across her mind, of half remembered knowledge, contacts new and old, and plans by the dozen. It was all pointless; for now there was no way out of this mess. All she could do was bide her time and await an opportunity.

HHH

 **A/N: Well now, isn't this a treat. Or not really.**

 **To everyone who was following this story (all thirteen of you), I deeply apologize for the long wait. I never planned on abandoning this fic, but after reviewing my story progress and quality from when Not What You Expected and You Came Back were competing for my time, I realized one would have to be put on hold. It seemed to work out, at least for NWYE's written quality. But now that it's done, I can devote my efforts to Ballad of the Chosen in earnest.**

 **Two things before I part: the first is I have a new job, which is taking up a metric ton of my time and energy. So updates to this or any future stories are going to be somewhat slow. It'd be nice if I didn't have to, but fanfiction doesn't give a paycheck.**

 **On that subject, I don't own Tokyo Ghoul. That belongs to Sui Ishida, I'm just some scrub using his creation for a story of my own. Any other series I mention or reference belongs to its proper owners. No profit is earned or desired for the making of this story.**


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